Easily openable package and closure therefor



Feb. 8, 1966 FLAHERTY 3,233,819

EASILY OPENABLE PACKAGE AND CLOSURE THEREFOR Filed Jan. 29, 1964 R E-m INVENTOR. KENNETH A. FLAHERTY fii me, HAIKE I A S ATTORNEYS United States Patent Filed Jan. 29, 1964, Ser. No. 340,907 Claims. (Cl. 229-43) This invention relates to a package consisting of a filled container which is closed by container closure having separably displaceable fringe portions formed thereon which permit ease of opening, and it also relates to container closures per se.

In packages, such as those which include a rigid foil container and a flat aluminum foil and paperboard laminated cover attached to the container by crimping a flanged portion of the container around the peripheral edge of the closure and are commonly used for frozen packaging goods and the like, it is desirable to have means incoroprated in the construction of the package which permits the container to be easily opened by hand and ideally to be reclosable. In food packages of the type described it is common practice simply to crimp the flange portion of the container about the peripheral edge and against the marginal edge portion of the flat container closure. To open this type container it is necessary to lift the flange portion of the container away from at least a portion of the closure so that the edge of the closure can be grasped by hand to pull the closure forcibly from under the remainder of the crimped flange portion. This opening method not only is undesirable and inconvenient but it also usually results in a closure which is badly bent or torn so as substantially to preclude its re-use. It is an object of this invention to provide a container closure and a package incorporating a container closure in its construction which is formed to permit ease of removal from containers and yet retains all the requirements for good and effective closure of containers and ease of packaging.

Broadly stated, the container closure of the invention is comprised of a substantially flat closure member with a plurality of peripherally spaced scores cut through the closure member along its peripheral edge and extending into the body of the closure member along its marginal edge portion. Fringe portions which are separably displaceable out of the plane of the closure member are thereby defined by the marginal edge portions between the spaced scores. Tab means are also advantageously incorporated in the closure member for grasping of the closure. In preferred forms of the invention it is desirable to have the scores extending around the entire periphery at spaced intervals and to provide fold lines in the fringe portions to ease folding thereof out of the plane of the closure member. The invention also relates to an easily openable package which is comprised of a container filled with contents and a container closure of the type described above that is attached to the container by a flange portion of the container being folded around the peripheral edge of the closure and against the fringe portions .so that upon lifting of the closure the fringe portions are individually removable from under the flange portion. In this package construction it is particularly desirable to include a tab portion which extends from an edge of the closure member and is folded back against the body of the closure member with a resulting tab fold locatedv at the peripheral edge of the closure so that the flange portion of the container can be folded around the tab fold. The package can also be compartmented by providing pairs of cooperating score lines in the body of the closure member which permit portions of the closure member to be removed individually,

The simplicity of the construction of the container closure prevails throughout the description of the inverition. A unitary sheet of, for example, an aluminum foil and paperboard laminate has rather closely spaced peripheral scores cut from the edge into the body of the closure to define fringe portions about the marginal edge portion of the closure. A pull tab can easily be formed in the closure by simply extending the marginal edge portion of the closure laterally outward. The closure can then be attached to rigid foil containers and the like in the usual manner by simply crimping a flange portion at the mouth of the container around the peripheral edge and against the marginal edge portion of the closure. No new or special equipment is needed to close containers with the closures of the invention. Its simplicity notwithstanding, the cover offers decided advantages over closures heretofore used in that it permits great case of opening packages formed with the closures of the invention. Moreover, the closures of the invention are so easy to remove that they are not in any way damaged during removal, and this fact plus the novel construction permits re-use of the closures to reclose the containers by inserting the fringe portions under the flange portion once again.

Although the closure and the package of the invention have particular application to the packaging of foodstuffs such as frozen bakery goods, frozen pot pies, frozen dinners and the like, it is also intended that the package and closure can be used with products other than foodstuffs such as chemicals, powdered and granulated materials, small mechanical parts, etc, and therefore by contents as used in this application it is not intended that it be limited to foodstuffs but that it include any product or material which would be compatible with the normal packaging procedures.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described hereinbelow with reference to the drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a substantially round container closure shown attached to a fragmentary flang portion of a container;

FIG. 2 is a perspective of a package with foodstuffs contained therein with the container closure partially removed;

FIG. 3 is a top view partly broken away of a package of the invention closed by a container closure which is compartmented by cooperating score lines extending in the body of the closure;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective of a marginal edge portion of a closure of the invetion being removed from a container;

FIG. :5 is an enlarged section taken substantially along I lines 5--5 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section taken substantially along lines 6-6 of FIG. 1.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 a container closure 10 is a substantially round and flat member conructed with a top surface 11 of aluminum foil ply and a bottom surface 12 of a paperboard ply which are laminated together. of course other cover constructions than that shown can be used. For example a foil paperboard laminate with the foil at the bottom surface, or a laminate with foil on top and bottom surfaces, or paperboard alone, as well as other materials such as plastics and their combination can be used without departing from the invention. The closure 10 has a body 14 which comprises the major portion of the closure and has a peripheral edge 15 definingrthe outermost edge of the closure and a marginal edge portion 16 which is the portion of the cover immediately adjacent the peripheral edge of the closure.

A rigid aluminum foil container 17 which has a 3 flange portion 18 at the mouth of, the container is partially shown in FIG. 1 and shown in FIG. 2 as having the closure attached thereto by crimping the flange portion 13 around the peripheral edge 15 and down against the marginal edge portion 16. The construction thus far described has essentially the construction of container closures and packages heretofore used.

Cut through the closure member 10 along its peripheral edge 15 and extending into the body 14 of the closure member along its marginal edge portion 16 are scores 20 which are spaced peripherally from each other substantially along the entire periphery of the closure. Fringe portions 21 are defined between the spaced scores 20 by the marginal edge portions and the fringe portions are separably displaceable out of the plane of the closure. The scores are shown as being cut substantially perpendicular to a tangent drawn to the periphery of the container but it has been found that depending upon the shape of the closure it may be advantageous to cut all or some of the scores at different angles to facilitate the opening of the container. It is to be noted that the length of extension of the scores 20 into the body of the container does not exceed the length the flange portion 18 which overlaps the closure, and the scores are completely enclosed under the flange portion.

A tab portion 22 extends laterally from the peripheral edge 15 of the closure 10 and provides means for grasping the closure to lift the closure and pull the fringe portions out from under the flange portion 18 of the containerposed for ease of grasping to effect removal of the closure member.

Referring to FIG. 1 again and FIG. 6 fold lines 25 are shown formed at substantially the inner end of the V fringe portions 21 as defined by the depth of the scores 20, such that the fold lines are located beneath but adjacent to the inner edge of the flange 18. The fold lines 25 are desirable to facilitate bending of the fringe portions out of the plane of the closure member for additional'ease of removal of the closure from under the flange portion 18 where necessary.

In operation the user will grasp the tab portion 22 from the container 17. Subsequent reclosure of the mem-- ber can be effected by lifting the flange portion 18 of the container slightly and bending the fringe portions 21 and inserting them under the flange portion.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 3. A rectangular closure 30 having peripherally spaced scores 31 cut through the peripheral edge 32 and into the body of the closure along the marginal edge portion 33 is shown mounted on a container 34 by crimping a flange portion 35 of the container around the peripheral edge of the closure and against the marginal edge portion thereof. Cut into the body of the closure member and extending in the plane of the closure member from oneperipheral edge portion to a second peripheral edge portion are a pair of cooperating score lines 37 and 38. These score lines are cut into but not through the closure from opposite sides thereof and are offset from each other only slightly so that lifting of one portion of the closure member will cause a separation between the score lines 3'7 and 33. A tab portion 40 extends from one corner of the closure 3% and is folded back against the body of the closure member as was shown in the first embodiment. By means of this construction a first portion 41 of the closure 36 can be removed by lifting the tab 40 and removing thefringe portions from under the flange portion of the container and tearing the closure between the pair of cooperating score lines within the body of the container to remove only a small section of the closure. This construction is particularly desirable when, for instance, foodstuffs. is contained within the container which must be cooked before removal and it is desirable that some of the foodstuff be exposed to direct heat while other foodstuffs must be covered during heating; Subsequently removal of the remaining portion 42 of the closure 30 can be effected by simply lifting the remaing portion so as to remove the fringe portions from under the flange portion in the manner described with respect to the first embodiment.

I claim:

1. An easily openable package comprising a container, contents contained in said container, a container closure which comprises a substantially flat closure member, a plurality of peripherally spaced scores cut through the closure member along its peripheral edge and extending into the body of the closure member along its marginal edge portion, fringe portions defined by the marginal edge portions between the spaced scores and extending in the same plane as the flat closure member which are separably displaceable out of the plane of the closure member, and a flange portion of said container folded around the peripheral edge of the closure and against the fringe portions such that upon lifting of the closure the fringe portions are individually removable from under the flange portion.

2. An easily openable package comprising a container, contents contained in said container, and a container closure which comprises a substantially flat closure member, a plurality of peripherally spaced scores cut through the closure member alongits peripheral edge and extending into the body of the closure member along its marginal edge portion, fringe portions defined by the marginal edge portions between the spaced scores and extending in the same plane as the flat closure member which are separably displaced out of the plane of the closure member, tab means on said closure member for grasping of the closure, and a flange portion of said container folded around the peripheral edge of the closure and against the fringe portions such that upon lifting of the closure by the tab means the fringe portions are individually removable from under the flange portion and the closure is correspondingly removed from the package.

3. An easily openable package comprising a container, contents contained in said container, and a container closure which comprises a substantially flat closure member, a plurality of peripherally spaced scores cut through the closure member along its peripheral edge and extending into the body of the closure member along its marg nal edge portion, fringe portions defined by the marginal edge portions between the spaced scores and extending in the same plane as the flat closure member which are separably displaceable out of the plane of the closure member, a tab portion extending from an edge of the closure memberand folded back against the body of the closure member with a resulting tab fold located at the peripheral edge of the closure, and a flange portion of said container folded around the peripheral edge of the closure and the tab fold and against the fringe portrons such that upon lifting of the closure by means of the tab the fringe portions are individually removable from under the flange portion and the closure is correspondingly removed from the package.

4. An easily openable package comprising a container, contents contained in said container, and a container closure which comprises a substantially flat closure member, a plurality of peripherally spaced scores cut through the closure member along its peripheral edge and extending into the body of the closure member along its marginal edge portion, fringe portions defined by the marginal edge portions between the spaced scores and extending in the same plane as the flat closure member which are separably displaceable out of the plane of the closure member, tab means on said closure for grasping of the closure, fold lines in the fringe portions to ease folding thereof out of the plane of the closure member, and a flange portion of said container folded around the peripheral edge of the closure and against the fringe portions such that upon lifting of the closure by the tab means the fringe portions are individually removable from under the flange portion and the closure is correspondingly removed from the package.

5. An easily openable package including a container, contents contained in said container, and a container closure which comprises a substantially flat closure membet, a plurality of peripherally spaced scores cut through the closure member along its peripheral edge and extending into the body of the closure member along its marginal edge portion, fringe portions defined by the marginal edge portions between the spaced scores and extending in the same plane as the flat closure member which are separably displaceable out of the plane of the closure member, cooperating score lines cut in the plane of the cover member to permit a portion of the closure member to be removed, tab means on said closure for grasping of the closure, and a flange portion of said contaner folded around the peripheral edge of the closure and against the fringe portions such that upon lifting of the closure by the tab means the fringe portions are individually removable from under the flange portion and the closure is correspondingly removed from the package.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,866,036 7/1932 Hartman et al. 229-5.5 2,074,325 3/1937 Carew 229--5.5 2,392,959 1/1946 Van Saun 2295.5 2,673,806 3/1954 Coleman 229--3.5 3,069,043 12/1962 Bishop 2293.5 3,142,413 7/1964 Grogel 229-3.5

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN EASILY OPENABLE PACKAGE COMPRISING A CONTAINER, CONTENTS CONTAINED IN SAID CONTAINER, A CONTAINER CLOSURE WHICH COMPRISES A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT CLOSURE MEMBER, A PLURALITY OF PERIPHERALLY SPACED SCORES CUT THROUGH THE CLOSURE MEMEBER ALONG ITS PERIPHERAL EDGE AND EXTENDING INTO THE BODY OF THE CLOSURE MEMBER ALONG ITS MARGINAL EDGE PORTION, FRINGE PORTIONS DEFINED BY THE MARGINAL EDGE PORTIONS BETWEEN THE SPACED SCORES AND EXTENDING IN THE SAME PLANE AS THE FLAT CLOSURE MEMBER WHICH ARE SEPARABLY DISPLACEABLE OUT OF THE PLANE OF THE CLOSURE MEMBER, AND A FLANGE PORTION OF SAID CONTAINER FOLDED AROUND THE PERIPHERAL EDGE OF THE CLOSURE AND AGAINST THE FRINGE PORTIONS SUCH THAT UPON LIFTING OF THE CLOSURE THE FRINGE PORTIONS ARE INDIVIDUALLY REMOVABLE FROM UNDER THE FLANGE PORTION. 